2K Changes The Game With Civilization V

If you thought Sid Meier’s Civilization games couldn’t get any more addictive, then you probably haven’t seen Civilization V. 2K’s newest entry in the famed strategy series will keep you playing way past your bedtime.

The most immediate change to this Civilization is the introduction of hex squares. Where old Civilization games where laid out in square grids, the introduction of the hex grid actually changes the game more than you might think. For one, Civilization V will now allow players to stack only one military on a hex at a time. This means that battles are more strategic. Instead of building a stack of death and sending it to topple an enemy capital, players will have to coordinate their war efforts, making effective use of ranged attacks, and paying attention to the advantages and disadvantages of each unit taking part in an encounter.

Other nice improvements include an option to choose future technologies that you’d like to start working towards – the tech tree will automatically choose the optimal research path so you can forget about inventing and worry about taking over the world. The introduction of city-states won’t be much of a threat to you in terms of winning the game, but they could be valuable allies or thorns in your side, depending on how you approach diplomacy. 2K Games has even promised more ready-made tools to help modders create new content, including an in-game browser, which will connect you to this steady supply of player-made content.

Civilization V looks different enough to be a proper sequel, but it also looks to have that addictive strategy that Civilization is known for. Better still we’ll all be able to stay up later than we should playing the game when it comes out in September.